What's the worst piece of equipment you ever owned?

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Paul Cascio

Paul Cascio

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The Omega saw tops my list. If you brought the blades down faster than a snail's pace, it would bog down. Also, wood and metal chips would find their way to a place where they would prevent the blade from coming down at all. It was one scary saw to operate too - felt as if the blades could fly out of the housing.
 
Keencut ultimat gold 60" manual mat cutter.. have it , use it, HATE IT!! have to constantly tweek it, tighten screws that work their way out .. had to make stops as the existing ones are carp.... did I say I hate it ... ???
 
I'll second the ATG Gun but the worst lemon was the chevy Vega with the aluminum heads that would warp in direct sunlight!!

Tom
 
I guess there was no Museum Glass back then. :)
 
Cassesse CS299MXLII V nailer. What a piece of junk. It was broken down more than it ever worked. Even after repairs by the Cassesse representative repairman, it never made it past three frames without breaking down. It was so unreliable it just sat in our shop taking up space, we used our old Cassesse 810 instead, which we still use today, after close to 25 years. I finally sold it back to the distributor at a thousand dollars less than I paid for it just to get my shop space back. I don't think we even got five frames that were given to a customer out of it, the whole year we had it.

John
 
Taiwanese knock-off of the Lion Miter chopper.

Only an idiot would consider using one of those to trim picture frame mouldings, and I was first in line. It is the most unsatisfactory and dangerous tool I know off, bar none. A guy at the shop where I bought it earned a few dozen stitches just from picking one up.

Also the lightweight Logan Model 760, 60" matte cutter is amazingly unsuited to the task. But the 660 works great.
 
I was cleaning up my basement floor yesterday, and kicked a tool out from under my workbench.

After shoving it a couple of inches I looked down and it was my Lion Cutter! Still sharp!

But the worst tool, The fat spike wood splitting wedge. Supposed to put it in the center and it "blows the log apart". Yeah, if it does its in random useless chucks. Give me a good solid wedge or a accurate axe any day.
 
1968 Harley Sportster...... later found out it was the first made in Mexico with Brazilian heads and jugs.

Morso with a swedish measuring system
 
Ya know there are several swimsuit models running around with Brazilian jugs. I HATE all my old cheapazz drippy glueguns! Musta killed 10 of em.BTW,I LOVE my ATG guns.Actually took one to the elementary school last week.Made a large paper light house to place on the wall in front of a classroom,the tape was great,no glue needed. L.
 
Luddite check with PAM - they have an absolutely fantastic hot glue gun - no drip - quick heat up and I have been using mine for over a year with absolutely no problem.
 
The absolute worst piece of equipment I even owned had to have been the Fletcher point driver that I bought when I opened my shop in 1982 to be a replacement for the ancient Red Devil driver. Man, I thought I really had it goin' on!

Until I was using the thing about a week later when I pulled the trigger and it broke in half in my hand.

Still using the Red Devil which is probably older than I am - never send cast aluminum to do a cast iron job.
 
Joe B said:
Luddite check with PAM - they have an absolutely fantastic hot glue gun - no drip - quick heat up and I have been using mine for over a year with absolutely no problem.
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OH,I HAVE one! LOVE IT!!!!! L.
 
Mar, I know what you mean about those pot metal point driver parts. I always keep extra handles and other spare parts on hand. I took to engraving the replacement dates on the handles to see how long they last. I still like the diamond points for particular purposes. I wish they would make a new-style driver with a diamond point magazine.

I would have to say one of my most frustrating tools was the Gene Green Mini Oval Cutter. To be fair, it did work pretty well when it was new, and it served me well for certain applications till I got a CMC. However, the necessity of nailing it to a board for use tended to deform the aluminum base block, causing binding of the sliding bar. This got worse as the thing aged and wore down. Also, its calibration markings were crude at best, so one had to make several practice mats to get the size right before cutting the real one.
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
Oh I got one. Fredrix canvas stretching pliers in chrome. Twice I have had the handle snap and crushed my pinky finger in those suckers.
 
Jeff Rodier said:
Oh I got one. Fredrix canvas stretching pliers in chrome. Twice I have had the handle snap and crushed my pinky finger in those suckers.
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went through 3 of those suckers in the past year..nothing but junk...back to my old trusty cast iron set.
 
I hate those pliers!!

The last shop I worked at, I used to stretch a couple hundred transfers a month. I had to order my pliers two or three at a time because they were constantly breaking on me. Same cast iron pliers have been in use there for like fifteen or twenty years!
 
It's such a shame how formerly good products have been cheapened. What is the point of selling something that is not capable of performing the task for which it is specifically intended? Ultimately don't you just ruin your company's reputation and open yourself up to lawsuits from injured customers?
:shrug: Rick

P.S. The stretching pliers I purchased when I opened my shop in 1977 are still performing beautifully. In fact, I still have many of my original tools.
 
Rick that is why they have been cheapened. They do the job wonderfully while they work, then they break down so that they can be bought again. Since you still have the ones you bought in 1977 that company has had go revenue from you. How long would you last if you only sold 1 frame to a customer?
 
The worst of the worst!!!...

The MAT MAESTRO!!!:vomit:

By far the biggest piece of s**t ever made!!



I had a Ford Escort that had over 200,000 miles on it when I sold it. I drove that everywhere and never had a problem.
 
I would have to say it was a 1988 chevy s-10, last chevy vehicle I have owned.

I have a Wizard 8000, not one problem and I still wonder how I ever opened with out it.
 
Probably gonna be the only one to say this, but I absolutely HATE my VN42; I've had to stop myself from just kicking it over and walking away several times. The bosslady bought all the equipment at the shop where I work used a few months ago from a guy who had a FastFrames and he apparently didn't maintain any of his equipment. I literally have no idea what it's going to do every time I go to build a frame. Maybe it'll shoot a nail, maybe not; maybe it'll stack one, maybe not; maybe it will shoot the nail almost all the way in so it jams when i try to move it. There's also the fact that it makes complicated moulding even more complicated, especially if it has a back that is rounded or anything other than straight pretty much. It's been adjusted, parts have been replaced, everything; still doesn't work. Oh how I want another Cassesse CS89....
 
framah said:
The worst of the worst!!!...

The MAT MAESTRO!!!:vomit:

By far the biggest piece of s**t ever made!!
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Which of course was made by the same low-lifes that produced the Omega Saw.
 
Randall C Colvin said:
Chinese pliers, Chinese staple gun, Chinese bandsaw(inherited that one), Chinese food, Chinese you name it...... and I'm not racist.
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I would agree....Mostly. BUT,Don`t put the food there,least not for me........It`s one of my favorites :). Btw,there are now Chinese copies of the Logan mat cutters.The cheap imitating the cheap? L.
 
Luddite said:
Btw,there are now Chinese copies of the Logan mat cutters.The cheap imitating the cheap? L.
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That reminds me of the movie "Multiplicity" where Doug #2 says about Doug #4 "You know how when you make a copy from a copy it doesn't come out too sharp".
 
Randall C Colvin said:
... Chinese food, Chinese you name it......
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Sorry, but this is one the Chinese are not on the hook for. The stuff sold as "Chinese Food" in America has no more than a passing resemblance to what is actually made and eaten in China. Even the fortune cookies were developed in America. They seem to have origins in Japan, but were "discovered" and brought to public attention in the US. They are almost unheard of in China, where, if they are known, are called "American fortune cookies"...
 
hmmm, I would have to say my JennAir dishwasher.... after many problems, noisy, not cleaning, the whole door finally gave up (and no, we had no kids sitting on it or anything). After owning it for 2 years, we were done with it.
And honestly, any Jenn-Air equipment we have ever owned (as it was recommended to be the best) has failed so far or at least didn't live up to our expectations. NO MORE....

(guess what brand appliances we are getting in our new home..... yeah, right.)
 
David N Waldmann said:
Sorry, but this is one the Chinese are not on the hook for. The stuff sold as "Chinese Food" in America has no more than a passing resemblance to what is actually made and eaten in China. Even the fortune cookies were developed in America. They seem to have origins in Japan, but were "discovered" and brought to public attention in the US. They are almost unheard of in China, where, if they are known, are called "American fortune cookies"...
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Don`t forget..I HAVE been there...and eaten local too! BTW,we DO have a wonderful little "hole in the wall" Chinese place within walking distance(used to be,now the road I would have to dash across is a bit busy for my taste).It is run by a family from Hong Kong,and is just about as authentic as I could ever hope for here.There`s also a big oriental grocery in the same tiny plaza,I can buy stuff I remember there,and trot it over to the chef if I like.Neat place. L.
 
Randall C Colvin said:
Chinese pliers, Chinese staple gun, Chinese bandsaw(inherited that one), Chinese food, Chinese you name it...... and I'm not racist.
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Generally, the Chinese make it to the specifications wanted, and the US manufacturers want it cheap, so the Chinese do what the US customer wants.

Sometimes the Chinese products are better. I remember working with a manufacturer a while back [no names], and a Chinese company was making illegal copies of our product...what was interesting is the Chinese copy was of better quality than the product made in the US.
 
Grey Owl said:
Generally, the Chinese make it to the specifications wanted, and the US manufacturers want it cheap, so the Chinese do what the US customer wants.

Sometimes the Chinese products are better. I remember working with a manufacturer a while back [no names], and a Chinese company was making illegal copies of our product...what was interesting is the Chinese copy was of better quality than the product made in the US.
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Yes!!! Glad someone else said that.Other than blatant,un ordered,direct knockoffs(yeah,it happens...everywhere),for the vast majority of things,the Chinese companies make EXACTLY what you paid them to,including quality.They will lay out all options during the set up phase.How much quality you want to pay for vs. profit? You get what you ask for. L.
 
David N Waldmann said:
Sorry, but this is one the Chinese are not on the hook for. The stuff sold as "Chinese Food" in America has no more than a passing resemblance to what is actually made and eaten in China. Even the fortune cookies were developed in America. They seem to have origins in Japan, but were "discovered" and brought to public attention in the US. They are almost unheard of in China, where, if they are known, are called "American fortune cookies"...
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Sorry about Vermont, but there are plenty of ethnic Chinese operating restaurants and ethnic Chinese groceries here in NJ - from many different regions, to boot. :p:p
 
Paul, couldn't agree with you more. I have to work with an Omega saw and it's horrible.
Also, anyone know what causes that terrible plastic smell in Chinese vinyl/plastic products. I just bouht my 3 year old a purse and had to throw it away.
 
CB Art & Framing said:
I just bouht my 3 year old a purse and had to throw it away.
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Poly Vinyl Chloride. Used to be part of the "new car smell".

Worst: well, pretty much anything with the Craftsman brand on it. But you get what you pay for.
 
Maybe they should change the name to "Crapsman".
:icon11: Rick
They're another example of a brand whose products used to be decent years ago...
 
ANYTHING that isn't calibrated precisely, which right now is my Fletcher 3000 (and the pressure plate on my Bienfant/Seal drymount press). I hate taking the time to calibrate these machines, i guess mostly because I'm not very good at it. If there was a technician (like the Maytag man, who claims to be lonely these days) I'd hire him to calibrate everything!!!

:help:
 
GreenTea, I would be pleased to calibrate all of your framing equipment. In return, all I'll need is reimbursement of travel expenses and some money.
 
Pat Murphey said:
Sorry about Vermont, but there are plenty of ethnic Chinese operating restaurants and ethnic Chinese groceries here in NJ - from many different regions, to boot. :p:p
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Pat, I has been a while, but I have been to Chester. I believe it is up by Burlington. There are plenty of great restaurants in VT! Even the southern border towns like Brat now have good restaurants.

Maybe Dave just doesn't get out enough ;)

Oops, just googled Chester. Dave'll have to go to Brat or Claremont NH or Keene NH for good food. Dave head north to the capital. Go to the New England Culinary Institute on Main Street! Wow, great food, great price!
 
Jim Miller said:
GreenTea, I would be pleased to calibrate all of your framing equipment. In return, all I'll need is reimbursement of travel expenses and some money.
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:smiley: Now that's what I call an offer...Best one I've had all day!
...in several days now that I'm thinking about it!

Would you take homemade pesto ravioli in trade instead? ;)

I'll even throw in my amazing home grown caprese salad...
 

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Bob Doyle said:
Dave head north to the capital. Go to the New England Culinary Institute on Main Street! Wow, great food, great price!
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I wouldn't expect anyone who doesn't live here to know ("what state is Vermont in?" or, the latest one, "how do you spell that?"), but Burlington, while by far our largest town - they call it a City - is not the capital, it's Montpelier, aka Mount Peculiar.

BTW, I have a nephew from NJ who came to VT so he could attend the NECI. Now he's a private chef for some couple in Las Vegas...
 
Dave, I hope you know that I know that Montpelier is the capital! NECI has a restaurant on Main Street (or did last I was there) and a Cafe across the street. Burlington does have an onshoot restaurant but that is on Church Street. And off Church, toward the lake and facing the garage (I don't know the street name!) was a great Japanese restaurant. For a while there was an Inn in Essex or was it Essex Junction) that had a third NECI restaurant.

Like I said VT has good food!

If you're ever in Kennebunk the Inn next to me is owned by 2 CIA grads. You could compare the cooking talents of the 2 schools! (I prefer NECI, but don't Brian and Shanna next door ;) )
 
GreenTea said:
Would you take homemade pesto ravioli in trade instead? ;)

I'll even throw in my amazing home grown caprese salad...
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That sounds wonderful, and I'd love to take you up on the offer -- but there's one little problem. I have to eat again after I get home, and that's where the money part comes in. Sorry.
 
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